Unstable dhow ‘created alarm’
by mahmood on 20/04/06 at 9:02 am · email · print
The Al Dana disaster dhow was so unstable that glasses fell to the floor and smashed, even before it left the jetty, prosecutors said yesterday.
Many witnesses testified that some people were so alarmed that they got off the dhow at its Marina Club moorings, before the ill-fated dinner cruise, during which 58 people died.
Glimpses of witness testimony were released yesterday, as the Public Prosecution revealed that the dhow’s Bahraini owner had been charged with manslaughter and released on BD3,000 bail.
The dhow’s Indian captain and co-captain have also been charged with manslaughter, but are being kept in custody.
All three are also charged with unintentionally inflicting injury, said Muharraq Public Prosecution head Osama Al Oufi.
The owner has been banned from leaving the country, said Mr Al Oufi.
All three deny the charges and will be brought before the criminal court in the first week of next month, he said.
Fifty-eight people died and 72 survived, when the dhow capsized on March 30.
It had been hired by contractor Nass, Murray & Roberts for a party to celebrate the completion of concreting work on the Bahrain World Trade Centre.
The owner will also be charged with employing a captain who was not under his sponsorship, said Mr Al Oufi.
He said the Public Prosecution had taken statements from a large number of survivors.
“They all said that the dhow was unstable before it sailed, to the extent that it caused some glasses to fall and break, which made some of the passengers leave,” said Mr Al Oufi.
It is thought a sudden, sharp turn by the captain during the cruise without slowing down may have tipped over the already unstable dhow.
Authorities have already revealed that the dhow was not licensed to carry passengers and that the captain was unlicensed.
“They (witnesses) said that the captain turned the dhow in a tight angle at the same speed it was sailing,” said Mr Al Oufi.
“This made all of its contents and passengers slide to one side, accelerating the capsizing of the dhow.”
Mr Al Oufi said when faced with the charges against him, the captain denied the allegations. “The captain said the incident occurred because of the large number of passengers on the dhow’s deck, who gathered in one area,” he said.
“He added that he received instructions related to its operations from the owner who knew about the instability of the dhow before it sailed.”
The captain also denied the involvement of the co-captain in the incident because he did not play a part in sailing the dhow, said Mr Al Oufi.
He said the co-captain, who also denied the allegations against him, said that he and the captain received their instructions from the dhow owner.
The Public Prosecution also took statements from Coastguard experts as well as commercial registration and tourism officials in relation to the incident, said Mr Al Oufi.
He said a five-member investigation committee was expected to present its final report to the Public Prosecution in the next few days.
The committee comprises experts from the Directorate of Customs and Ports, the Coastguard, BDF, Bahrain University and a company specialising in such cases.
GDN :: 20 Apr ’06
